Collapsible adjusting knob



Jan. 16, 1962 w. 0. FOX 3,016,686

COLLAPSIBLE ADJUSTING KNOB Filed March 5, 1959 FIG. I

INVENTOR WILLIAM C. FOX

ATTORNEYS nit ed States Patent 3,016,686 COLLAPSIBLE ADJUSTING KNOB William C. Fox, Plainville, Conn., assiguor to The Sessionsv Clock Company, Forestville, Connecticut This invention relates to manually operated rotatable adjusting knobs and, more particularly, to such an adjusting knob employed to operate the time-setting mechanism of a wall clock and adapted to be depressed into the clock casing when the clock is operatively mounted on the wall.

Certain mechanisms require for their operation that a shaft be turned manually on occasion to adjust the mecha nism in some manner. On clocks, for example, a knob is provided which is adapted to be turned manually when the hands are to be reset to a diiferent position on the clock face. Such a knob is usually located in a wall clock either on a vertical axis directly beneath the clock face or on a horizontal axis at the back of the clock casing. To improve their appearance many clocks have their time-setting knob hidden in the latter manner such that no functional element is visible on the clock casing when mounted except for the face and hands and, perhaps, the electrical connection.

However, it has been found that a time-setting knob Conn, a corporation of on a horizontal axis extending from the rear of the casing prevents a wall clock from being mounted flush against the wall and, thus, can be as detrimental to the appearance of the instrument as a knob locked in full view beneath the face. Usually, the problem cannot be remedied by recessing the surrounding casing to provide room for manipulating the knob With the fingers because the clock movement necessarily occupies most of the space within the casing adjacent the knob. It is possible, of course, to build up the casing so that a recess can be provided around the knob which does not interfere with the clock movement butthis is objectionable because the casing becomes relatively bulky and no longer closely confines the mechanism.

It is a primary purpose of the present invention, therefore, to provide a manually operable time-setting knob for a clock which may project Well beyond the rear of the clock casing for easy manipulation with the fingers and yet interferes in no Way in mounting the clock on a wall with the rearward surface of the casing flush against the wall. Moreover, this novel time-setting adjuster is of simple construction and occupies such very little space that the casing need not be enlarged to contain it.

Such an operating means can, of course, be employed advantageously in many mechanisms other than wall clocks. It is useful, in fact, in any encased device which includes a manually operated rotatable actuating knob that might best be displaced into the interior of the casing when not used.

Thus, the novel operating means contemplated by the invention is adapted to be employed with a mechanism which is enclosed in a casing adapted to be removably, operatively positioned fiush against a flat surface. The means comprises a rotatably mounted shaft within the casing operatively connected at one end to the rotatable element and having at its opposite end an axial extension. Surrounding the extension in slidable but relatively nonrotatable engagement therewith is a horizontal turning element by which the shaft may be turned. Spring means are provided to urge the turning element outwardly of the extension. The outer end of the turning element normally projects through an aperture in the casing to provide an exterior knob for manually adjusting the mechanism. This knob is so located as to abut a fiat surface substan- 3,015,686 Patented Jan. 16, 1962 ice tially normally when the casing is operatively mounted thereon and is adapted to be substantially completely depressed into the casing against the force of the spring means which is so chosen with relation to the weight of the casing and contents that such weight will effect this depression.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of an operatively mounted clock employing the contemplated means for operating its time-setting mechanism;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the rear surface of the clock shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation partly broken away showing the contemplated actuating means extending from the clock casing in position for manual operation; and

FIG. 4 is a section similar to FIG. 3 showing the contemplated means depressed into the casing.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the clock includes a casing 10 closed at one end by a planar rearward section 11 and at the other end'by a clock face 12. A glass 13 covers the face 12 and encloses a pair of hands 14'and 14 afiixed to a centrally located rotatable horizontal shaft 15. To permit the clock to be operatively mounted on the wall 16, a slotted aperture 17 in the planar rearward section 11 of the casing 10 is adapted to receive the head of a nail 18, or any other convenient attachment element, projecting from the wall.

Closely confined within the casing, and shown somewhat schematically in the drawing since its specific design forms no part of the invention, is a conventional clock movement 19 supported on studs 20 which extend integrally from the casing 10. The clock movement 19 is actuated by an electric motor 21 connected to a source of electric power by an insulated conductor 22. The shaft 15 is rotated by the motor 21 through the movement 19 in any conventional manner such that the time of day is indicated by the face and hands of the clock.

Associated with the clock movement 19 is a conventional time-setting mechanism 25 by which the hands of the clock may be set to any desired position. The particular construction of the mechanism 25 also forms no part of the invention except that it is selectively actuated by a rotatable element 26 arranged on a horizontal axis.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the element 26 extends through a partition 27 to form an actuating shaft 28 rotatably mounted in the partition. Threaded onto the end of the shaft 28 and coaxial therewith is a separate extension 30. The extension 30 is of prismatic shape having six planar sides and a flat outer surface. Fitted over the end of the extension 30 is a turning element 31 of tubular construction defining a bore 33 closed at one end. The bore has a hexagonal cross-section similar to but slightly larger than that of the extension 30 so that the turning element 31 is permitted to slide axially on the extension but cannot rotate relative thereto. On the outer surface of the element 31, approximately mid-way between its ends, is an annular flange 35. The outer end of the element 31 has serrations or knurls formed thereon to define a knob 36. Mounted within the bore 33 of the tubular element 31 is a small compression spring 38 which is abutted by the outer end of the extension 30 and the inner end of the bore 33. The spring 38 thereby urges the turning element 31 outwardly on the extension 30.

In the rearward section 11 of the casing 10, a circular aperture 40 is formed slightly larger in size than the crosssection of the tubular element 31 outwardly of the flange 35. The aperture 40 is positioned in line with the shaft 28 and the extension 30 such that the knob 36 normally projects through the aperture to the exterior of the casing under the force of the spring 38. Though, the extent of its projection is limited, as seen in FIG. 3, by the abutment of the flange 33 against the casing around the aperture 40, the knurled knob 36 is normally fully exposed so that it may be asily manually rotated to impart rotation to the element 26 to activate the time-setting mechanism 25.

It will be seen that by this construction the rearward section 11 of the casing 10 may be brought up flush against the Wall Without interference from the knob 36 when the clock is operatively mounted on the wall on the nail 18, as in FIGS. 1 and 4. The knob abuts the wall substantially normally when the clock is hung and spring 38 is one so chosen with relation to the weight of the clock that the component of the weight of the suspended clock in the direction of the wall causes the turning member 31 to be depressed into the casing through the aperture 40 against the force of the spring 38. Thus, the clock casing may lie directly against the wall when mounted thereon.

The spring constant of the spring 38, as indicated, must be chosen to permit such easy depression of the knob, though it must provide sufiicient vforce on the knob to move it outwardly to operative position when the clock is taken from the Wall. Thus the actuator for the timesetting mechanism is always made available for operation when the clock is removed from the wall yet is readily depressed into the casing when the clock is operatively mounted. a

I claim:

In combination with an adjustable clock mechanism enclosed in a casing and having means forming a casing back and means for suspending the casing back on a fiat, vertical wall surface in a manner causing the casing back to be urged toward the wall surface by a weight component of said mechanism and casing, a rotatable member for adjusting said mechanism, a knob slidably but non-rotatably engaging said rotatable member and having a first operative position projecting outward of the casing back and a second operative position flush with the casing back, spring means urging said knob toward its first position and having a predetermined spring force less than said weight component in any opera- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,947,282 Theis Feb. 13, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 139,230 Switzerland June 16, 1930 316,833

Switzerland Dec. 15, 1956 

